The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-11-03
ON THE POTOMAC.
Campaign of South Mountain
and the Antietam.
N'OLELLAN's LAST BATTLE.
Ices Invasion of Maryland
Twenty-Five Years Ago.

How stonewan Jackson's Mem Sang
my Maryland" on the Potomac.
Tho Lord Bless Your Ragged, Dirty
sOulsf'-Les's Lost DIspatch-Battle
of the Three Mountain Passes-cap-
tnre of HarPer's Ferry by the ConHed-
erates-Tho sunken Road as sharps-
burg-Dunker Church.
In the CONSERVATION that reigned at Wash
tngton after the second battle of Bull RIM
Aug. 30, 1862, Halleck wrote a hasty note to
Mcclellan, as follows: "You will retain the
command Of everything In this vicinity not
temporarily to DO Pope's army In tho field
beg of you to assist me in this crisis with
your ability and experience"
Mcclellan, at the time Of receiving this
note, was not in command OF anything to
speak Of. His army had been mostly sent to
Pope in Virginia Halleck's order meant
that Mcclellan was to take command OF the
detenses OF the city OF Washington, and that
Immediately.
After the bloody fight OF Chantilly, Sept.
l, Gen. Pope's Union aTmy--what was left Of
it-straggled into Washington, ragged, foot
sore, and half starved. They were allowed
To rest and pull themselves together again
for few days within the intrenchments of
the city. Meantime, Pope once more re-
quested TO be relieved Of his command and
sent back west. His request was allowed.
Sept. he turned his face westward, and his
back ON That eastern army which he believed
had never supported him sincerely. Many
OF his cOuntrymen shared the same opinion
IL was declared that had Mcclellan hurried
FrGnElin's and Summers corps forward to
the support Of Pope, as he had been ordered
70 do, the Union defeat at the second Bull
Hun would not have happened. Horace
Greeley, in his American Conflict says so
III 50 many words. He writes: Had they
been there two days earlier, and had Porter
Row and then condescended to obey an order,
that defeat might have been transformed
iifo victory"
At any rate, whosesoever the fault, Pope,s
Iioody and unsatisfactory campaign was
over. Ills star in the east had gone down.
Tile eyes OF the country once more turned to
Mcclellan Those first years of the war
we q on the Union side, G desperate hunting
Sept. 2; President Lincoln and Gen, Hal
ieSk placed Mcclellan again at the head Of
all tho eastern army. They personally called
at his house and asked him to take command
again. Tho Army Of Virginia was no more,
and the reorgnnized Army Of the Potomac
io1e upon its ruins.
The army in Washington having rested.
still formed as fine a body OF fighting men as
reed he. Rest brought back their old spirits,
recruits poured in from all quarters and soon
fl.ct ont the skeletonized regiments Sept z
Nc Clellan led out OF Washington an army
o1,VOJ strong. A new campaign was to re-
store the confidence Of the country IN her
Young Napoleon
Eluks was left in command OF the defenses
ct Washington. Mcclellan led out from the
city the First, Second, Sixth, Ninth and
twelfth army corps, commanded respect
ively by Hooker, Sumner, Franklin, Reno
and Mansfield. Gen. COUGHS division OF the
Fourth corps was attached to the Sixth.
Fitz John Porter, with his Fifth army corps,
joined Mcclellan Sept. IL. The total strength
OF his army is put at this date ut 104 ,240 OF
this splendid army, Burnside commanded
the right, Sumner the center and Franklin
the LETT Gen. Alfred Pleasonton had charge
OF tho cavalry. In this order the army OF
tho Potomac advanced once more to try con-
clu5ioIs with Lee and his men. They did not
exactly know where Lee was yet, but 1t was
not long till they found out.